PERPENDICULAR RECORDING MAGNETIC MEDIA WITH IMBALANCED MAGNETIC MOMENT MULTILAYER CAP STRUCTURE - A perpendicular magnetic recording media is provided having an imbalanced magnetic moment multilayer cap. The perpendicular magnetic recording media comprises a granular layer, and a multilayer cap structure exchange coupled to the granular layer. The multilayer cap structure includes upper and lower magnetic layers separated by a non-magnetic layer, where the upper magnetic layer has a magnetic moment greater than the lower magnetic layer. When an external field is applied to the recording media, a larger moment torque is triggered at the surface, and more efficient switching is facilitated. The upper magnetic layer may have a higher magnetic moment than the lower magnetic layer if the upper magnetic layer comprises a larger magnetic moment material than the lower magnetic layer. The upper magnetic layer may also have a higher magnetic moment than the lower magnetic layer if the upper magnetic layer has a greater thickness than the lower magnetic layer.

03-26-2009

20090130490

APPARATUS, SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR THE SELECTION OF PERPENDICULAR MEDIA SEGREGANT MATERIALS - A method for improving magnetic grain segregation in perpendicular recording media includes providing a substrate comprising a rigid support structure, depositing a soft underlayer on top of the substrate depositing an intermediate layer on top of the soft underlayer, providing a plurality of prospective segregants, determining the surface energies and the heat of formation of the prospective segregants and selecting the prospective segregant with a low surface energy and a high heat of formation. The method also includes providing at least one layer with surface energies progressively increasing to minimize the difference between the surface energy of a carbon overcoat and the segregant.

05-21-2009

20090213494

Perpendicular Magnetic recording system and medium with high-moment corrosion-resistant "soft" underlayer (SUL) - A perpendicular magnetic recording disk has a soft magnetic underlayer (SUL) that has high corrosion resistance as well as high moment. The material of the SUL is an alloy comprising Co, Fe, X, and Y; where X is Ta or Nb, Y is Zr or Hf, and the combined amount of X and Y present in the alloy is between about 10 and 20 atomic percent. The atomic ratio of Co to Fe in the alloy is between about 90:10 to 10:90, preferably between about 25:75 and 35:65. The SUL may be a single-layer SUL or a multilayer SUL formed of multiple soft magnetic layers separated by an interlayer film or films.

08-27-2009

20100091402

Adhesion layer for thin film magnetic recording medium - The invention uses an adhesion layer of an amorphous alloy of aluminum. A first aluminum titanium embodiment of the amorphous adhesion layer preferably contains approximately equal amounts of aluminum and titanium (+/−5 at. %). A second embodiment of the amorphous adhesion layer preferably contains approximately equal amounts of aluminum and titanium (+/−5 at. %) and up to 10 at. % Zr with 5 at. % Zr being preferred. A third embodiment is aluminum tantalum preferably including from 15 to 25 at. % tantalum with 20 at. % being preferred. The most preferred compositions are Al

04-15-2010

20100110584

Dual oxide recording sublayers in perpendicular recording media - A method is described for improving recording performance of a perpendicular media. The method includes using a dual oxide layer as a sublayer of a magnetic recording layer of the perpendicular media. The dual oxide sublayer improves recording performance, increases resistance to corrosion and allows for a thinner exchange break layer. The dual oxide layer generally includes oxides of tantalum and one of silicon or boron.

05-06-2010

20110085264

PATTERNED PERPENDICULAR MAGNETIC RECORDING MEDIUM WITH DATA ISLANDS HAVING A FLUX CHANNELING LAYER BELOW THE RECORDING LAYER - A patterned perpendicular magnetic recording medium, such as a disk for use in hard disk drives, has a flux channeling layer (FCL) located below the recording layer (RL) in each of the discrete data islands. The disk includes a substrate, a soft underlayer (SUL) of soft magnetically permeable material on the substrate, and a nonmagnetic exchange break layer (EBL) on the SUL. A nonmagnetic separation layer (SL) is located between the FCL and the RL in the islands. The FCL has an anisotropy field substantially lower than the anisotropy field of the RL, and a magnetization equal to or higher than the magnetization of the RL. The FCL is saturated at a much lower field than the RL and thus channels the magnetic flux from the write head through the island positions. The dipolar fields from the RL above the FCL polarize the magnetization of the FCL parallel to the magnetization direction of the RL in the absence of an external field, to thereby enhance the readback signal.

04-14-2011

20110141621

PERPENDICULAR MAGNETIC RECORDING MEDIA WITH OXIDE-CONTAINING EXCHANGE COUPLING LAYER - A magnetic storage medium according to one embodiment includes a substrate; a first oxide magnetic layer formed above the substrate; a second oxide magnetic layer formed above the first oxide magnetic layer; an exchange coupling layer formed above the second oxide magnetic layer, the exchange coupling layer comprising an oxide; and a magnetic cap layer formed above the exchange coupling layer. A method according to one embodiment includes forming a high Ku first oxide magnetic layer above a substrate by sputtering; forming a low Ku second oxide magnetic layer above the first oxide magnetic layer by sputtering; forming an exchange coupling layer of CoCrPt-oxide above the second oxide magnetic layer; and forming a magnetic cap layer above the exchange coupling layer. Additional systems and methods are also presented.

06-16-2011

20120186974

PERPENDICULAR MAGNETIC RECORDING MEDIA WITH OXIDE-CONTAINING EXCHANGE COUPLING LAYER - A method according to one embodiment includes forming a high Ku first oxide magnetic layer above a substrate by sputtering; forming a low Ku second oxide magnetic layer above the first oxide magnetic layer by sputtering; forming an exchange coupling layer of CoCrPt-oxide above the second oxide magnetic layer; and forming a magnetic cap layer above the exchange coupling layer. Additional systems and methods are also presented.

07-26-2012

20130170065

SUBSTRATE PATTERNING IN PERPENDICULAR STORAGE MEDIA - According to one embodiment, a patterned magnetic storage medium is disclosed herein. The magnetic storage medium includes a pattern formed on a substrate. The pattern includes at least a first and second feature and an edge defined between the first and second features. Additionally, the magnetic storage medium includes a magnetic layer formed on the pattern. The magnetic layer includes grains separated by a non-magnetic segregant boundary. The segregant boundary is positioned above the edge of the pattern.

METHOD FOR MAKING A PERPENDICULAR MAGNETIC RECORDING DISK WITH TEMPLATE LAYER FORMED OF NANOPARTICLES EMBEDDED IN A POLYMER MATERIAL - A method for making a perpendicular magnetic recording disk includes forming a template layer below a Ru or Ru alloy underlayer, with a granular Co alloy recording layer formed on the underlayer. The template layer is formed by depositing a solution of a polymer with a functional end group and nanoparticles, allowing the solution to dry, annealing the polymer layer to thereby form a polymer layer with embedded spaced-apart nanoparticles, and then etching the polymer layer to a depth sufficient to partially expose the nanoparticles so they protrude above the surface of the polymer layer. The protruding nanoparticles serve as controlled nucleation sites for the Ru or Ru alloy atoms. The nanoparticle-to-nanoparticle distances can be controlled during the formation of the template layer. This enables control of the Co alloy grain diameter distribution as well as grain-to-grain distance distribution.

08-21-2014

20140234665

PERPENDICULAR MAGNETIC RECORDING DISK WITH TEMPLATE LAYER FORMED OF NANOPARTICLES EMBEDDED IN A POLYMER MATERIAL - A perpendicular magnetic recording disk includes a template layer below a Ru or Ru alloy underlayer, with a granular Co alloy recording layer formed on the underlayer. substrate. The template layer comprises nanoparticles spaced-apart and partially embedded within a polymer material, with the nanoparticles protruding above the surface of the polymer material. A seed layer covers the surface of the polymer material and the protruding nanoparticles and an underlayer of Ru or a Ru alloy covers the seed layer. The protruding nanoparticles serve as the controlled nucleation sites for the Ru or Ru alloy atoms. The nanoparticle-to-nanoparticle distances can be controlled during the formation of the template layer. This enables control of the Co alloy grain diameter distribution as well as grain-to-grain distance distribution.